You are ANON, the RED JOKER. In our last instalment - After awakening from your duel with BARDIEL, to find yourself hospitalized - you spoke with ARGENT PROMINENCE, who returned your Relics; Also, you met MEGUMI, and her silent companion KOU.

Now, your time in the hospital has come to an end: It's the start of a new week.

"Scratching just makes it worse," you've been told - Especially given how *lucky* you were, that your burns and cuts were mostly superficial. In time, they'd heal; But every time you look down, to see the clean white bandages wound around your limbs...They're a constant reminder, one that preys on your mind.

You were discharged a few days later, walking out on your own power - A relief, given how restless you were becoming. Besides, you'd already missed one week of school - A second would be especially troublesome.

You're early today, students filing past as you make your way to the shoe lockers; You're still a little surprised by how out-of-breath your commute made you - Well, you'd just have to get use to it, until you recover.

Still, it could be worse. You supposed you'd have gone *really* stir-crazy, if not for...

"Are we *all* going to end up in here, at one point or another?" you remember Akira saying, with a mordant chuckle - Even as he lounged on the couch, tossing down a binder filled with paper. "-Here's this week's homework, Anon...And *here's* a copy of the annotated answer sheet. Wouldn't want you to fall behind, after all."

And Kazuya - You could see the relief writ large on his face, when he heard that you were awake; He'd smuggled in fast-food, too, which was a blessing given the lingering taste of antiseptic that clung to *everything* here...And the always-bland hospital food.

Later, he confided to you: "-I don't know what happened, and I'm not going to ask; But I'm glad you found Natsumi, man. I'm just happy she's *safe*."

Then, almost to himself - "...Now, if only she'd just *visit*..."

It was a welcome relief from the endless tedium of waiting - And the equal tedium of the crappy shows on the overhead television, which blurred into one after your first day awake. Now that you're up and walking-

...There's something in your shoe locker. A slip of paper, tucked in a corner - The words typed out, in block print, like the *last* one you received...

It wasn't Mio who gave out our information. Hecate was the one who booked the room under the handle 'Joker-kun', and Mio called us by that. Then the other maids picked up that Mio had a crush on us, and played along.

>>21421544There was a choice to use Hecate's name instead or just ask to get a table in the back but instead we chose to use our handle instead>>21421528[X] Go to the library first, then go there, as per normal.

You're still mulling over the letter, as you ascend the steps to class; You tore it into little shreds after reading it, to be safe - But exactly *what* he may want to talk about is...

As the classroom door opens, you're greeted by a smattering of earnest applause - "Welcome back, Anon!" someone calls, and it's taken up by the others like a round of laughter, well-wishes waving to you, coming up to give their regards. You're still shaking hands and good-naturedly fending them off, as you take your seat - To take a hearty *slap* on the back, one that makes you wince...As you turn to look into Kazuya's smiling face.

"-Glad to see you, Anon," he says, with a grin - "...How does it feel to be back?"

"Eh, it's a wasted opportunity," Akira cuts in, with a wry shrug; "-I'd have stretched it out for another few days, had a vacation...You don't get *this* lucky all the time."

[ ] "It's good to be back."[ ] "...Hey, that's pretty cold, Akira."[ ] "-What did I miss?[ ] "Wow, that's a warmer welcome than I expected. Did you guys...?"[ ] Free.

"Oh, not *that* much," Akira says, airily. "The Drama Club's been pulling in more support; Seems like they're going to need plenty of help with *this* performance." He pauses, just for a moment, his voice going faux-solemn - "Do your best, Stagehand #21. We expect great things from you."

You can't help but sigh, lightly - Feeling a familiar relief course through you. Some things never change; The peaceful days can't continue forever, but things like this...It's a welcome change from the red world.

As Akira and Kazuya squabble, good-naturedly, you look away; The storms and uncertain weather of the past few days have cleared, the sky robin's-egg blue and unmarred by cloud. Golden sunlight dapples the courtyard outside - In the distance, you can hear the faint murmur as the school preps itself for the first class of the day...

"-go see him?" you hear, close by - At Natsumi's desk, one of her classmates leans towards her, speaking softly...Though you can make out her words over the white noise of the class.

"-other people...taking care of him," Natsumi answers - She appears to be thoroughly uncomfortable, avoiding her eyes as she fusses with her schoolbag, finally sliding it beneath her seat.

"But, Nat-chan...You were *really* worried! You asked about him *every day* - And now you're not even going to..." Her voice is a little *too* loud, and the girl stiffens...When she realizes you're listening in, she goes *very* quiet, all of a sudden.

Natsumi looks back. Her eyes meet yours, for a moment, and a complex expression flits across her face - It's as if she *is* relieved, but doesn't want to let it show...Mingled with new worry, and wariness-

>>21422299So despite every misstep, rejection and casual dismissal of her Natsumi still worries for Anon? That's love, and I don't necessarily mean in the romantic sense.

"Natsumi isn't here with us obviously. If I spend all my time with the two of you I'll start absorbing all of your worst traits into myself and end up a voyeuristic otaku. Oi, Natsumi! Stop being shy and get over here, I missed you too!'

Funny thing is I wasn't planning on participating tonight. Well done OP.

You see Natsumi *start*, guiltily - Her cheeks going as red as her hair, as she fumbles with the books she'd just removed...Nearly dropping them, catching them, getting *even* more flustered as she realizes that you're all looking in her direction-

...And then, rather hesitantly, she smiles - An oddly shy but genuine smile, one that smooths the lines to her brow, a heavy book clutched to her chest. She's *just* about to stand up when the bell rings, with its shrill, impatient buzz - Students stirred into motion with a clatter of seats and desks, like a flock of startled birds.

Natsumi smoothes the hem of her skirt down - Suddenly busy with laying out her notes, her stationary - though you can tell, from the way she leans into her seat, that some indefigatable tension has eased.

"-What was *that* about?" Kazuya muses, with good-natured befuddlement - As Akira gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "...See, dense as a box of rocks, Mr. Shark," he says. "Figure it out."

>>21422553He does, but I suspect OP is slightly more interested in starting that meeting with the Thief. Know us we'd spend three hours with Natsumi and not be able to get through the material OP actually planned to go through tonight.

>>21422601Oh, you mean with regards to what exactly was said to Natsumi. It's a "no take-backs" approach to GMing, which I'm not a fan of, but his quest, his rules. If you post something OP's free to use it as he likes. Just be careful what you say.

Posting this for the meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUchAD44xA8>There must be someway out of here said the Joker to the Thief....

The lessons are...They're pretty much the same as always. There's quite a bit to catch up on, but that's kind of a relief; It helps passes the time, the faint scritch of your pen against paper, the neat rows of letters filling the page, making the hours roll past.

...It also takes your mind off the itching.

You've just finished the last penstroke, when the recess bell rings; There's the faint murmur of relief, like a whispering surrusation - The sound of several dozen students breathing out at once, just *glad* to be out of the classroom.

"-Well, so much for that," Kazuya says, stretching his legs - He looks stiff from so long behind a desk, which can't be good on his taller-than-average frame. "...Guess we should head up, to avoid the ru-"

"...Anon-kun."

You turn. Quietly - Her footfalls making no sound at all, amid the initial rush to get out of the classroom - Natsumi has made her way over to you. Kazuya sits up, so abruptly he nearly topples his chair...But she's looking right at you, seemingly at a loss for words...

-But then her expression softens, as she cracks a little smile; Dabbing at her eyes, her voice thickening. "Anon-kun, you really are - You're the *biggest* idiot I know," she says, sniffling - Relieved, but on the verge of glad tears at once. "...Really, out of everyone I know...You're such an idiot!"

"N-nat-chan?" Kazuya says - He looks like a man who's walked in midway through a movie, with *absolutely* no idea what's going on.

>>21422650>aw snap I take back everything I said at >>21422610>Wait that isn't what I should be focusing on right now, Kazuya's either going to turn evil, stab Anon here and now or cry, and I don't know what's worse>Goddamn Joker's smooth>Not HELPING hindbrain!

"Oh, I'm the idiot? Who vanished for nearly a week without telling anyone? Who didn't even bother calling any of their friends, or family, or checking in with anyone who cares at all about them? All I did was get hit by a building, and that was all the contractor's fault. Just wait until you see what my settlement's going to look like, and if I count the insurance cash I've got my uni payments all lined up. And I ask again, who's the idiot?" (quieter, serious now) "Don't do that again. Idiot."

To Kazuya: "See, if you hadn't made that crack about the nurses you wouldn't have made Natsumi cry. Just for that I'm keeping her to myself for lunch, you can have her back after I finish shouting at her for making us all worry."

You draw Natsumi into a hug - She's not *quite* crying, but on the verge of it...Her small fists thumping against your chest, tucked up against you as you feel her shoulders heave. "Idiot," she murmurs, faintly - her fingers biting in your shoulder, as she relaxes into it. "-you scared me *so much*...I didn't know *what* to do..."

You glance back, motioning to Kazuya to step forward. Though the confused - And rather poleaxed - look on his face remains, he holds her, too...Murmuring an awkward-sounding, but genuine "There, there," his voice soothing. To your faint surprise, she accedes to it, letting him ease her away from you - Kazuya's expression softening, as Natsumi calms at last.

> "See, if you hadn't made that crack about the nurses you wouldn't have made Natsumi cry. Just for that I'm keeping her to myself for lunch, you can have her back after I finish shouting at her for making us all worry."> "Now how about we go get something to eat before the cafeteria gets packed?"

"...It's fine," you hear Natsumi murmur - Her voice low, but firmer now. She straightens, slightly; "-I'll be fine like this, Anon-kun," she says, that hesitant little smile still on her lips. "I just...I just need some *time* to, to get used to it..."

You feel a weight lift from your chest, as you leave the classroom behind; There's still much more that was left unsaid, things that'd have to be further explained, but...

-But that's for another time.

The cool air of the roof lifts your spirits, as you push the door open. You're kind of glad that Akira wasn't there to see *that* - Who knows what he'd have said?

This early in the recess break, the roof is nearly empty - There's a small group of third-years and the usual hanger-ons, about a vague half-dozen people or so. Pretty much everyone else is probably jockeying for a good position in the queue, at the canteen...

Then the world goes red.

The fence lining the roof grows tall and pointed and cruel, barbed wire crawling across the top, jags of electricity flickering across the mesh. There's the smell of ozone to the air, as you swivel to take in the sight - This is where you fought Neon Striker, weeks ago, a place similar to the tennis courts downstairs where you first met-

> "You're early."

When you hear that sonorous, solemn voice, you know exactly who it is - Even before you see the forbidding ivory skull of his helmet, the lens set in the eyesockets flaring with ruddy light. Perched atop the raised block of granite - The former stairwell - the Thief looks down at you, his black coat fluttering in the breeze.

Looped around his neck, his white scarf snaps in the rising winds - The only splash of color against his tar-black form. The Thief seems *larger* somehow, more significant...As if his presence informs itself upon reality.

And - Behind him, against the armored panels of his coat, you make out the hilt of a short, straight blade (Like a machete, or a combat knife), canted at an angle for easy drawing...

But it's the stone set in the silver pommel that draws your eye. A silver clasp, formed like twisting snakes, holds a black pearl - A black pearl you remember *giving to Hecate*...

-Part of the Fatal Abyss.

[ ] "...Why do *you* have that?"[ ] "-It seems like you've done well for yourself, Thief."[ ] "What do you want?"[ ] "You called me out here for small talk?"[ ] Free.

>>21423059>>21423117"Not early enough apparently. Did I ever mention that I love the Skull Knight look? Very Berserk. Do try and keep in mind that HIS super sword ultimately ended up being key to the Idea of Evil's ends. I don't suppose you having what you want gets me my inheritance? Didn't think so."

> "Thief, where and how did you find that part of the cosmic butterknife you were after?"

He drops down, with a solid *thud* of armored boots - Rising from his slight crouch. You can tell that the blade isn't his only new acquisition; His outfit has changed, slightly, as if...

-Has he changed his loadout, for this occasion?

"The Chalice Queen gave it to me." The words are delivered in a monotone, with the affectless edge of truth to them; As he faces you, you notice the way he flexes the fingers of his right hand, involuntarily - As if correcting for the weight.

> And you've got poor taste in fashion. Now that the obvious is out of the way what do you want?> "I don't suppose you having what you want gets me my inheritance? Didn't think so."> "You wanted to talk, so let's talk, Thief. Let's cut the small-talk and get to the point. I have no time for games."

He chuckles, hollowly - Pointing right at you, at the quicksilver filaments that lines the fabric of your Assault Shroud, your Tempest Scrander.

"As you say - But silver doesn't suit you, Joker."

Red-glowing eyes.

The Thief goes silent, for a moment - Enough that you can almost hear the gears turning in his head. And then, he says:

>>21423212The Red Joker armor overwrote our previous set, which means that they can change. An enemy with two armors will inevitably show up.

>>21423223>Chalice Queen"And when exactly did she gift you it?>Pazuzu...Interesting. Unsurprising, but interesting. You are aware that Pazuzu has a small army of Players at his command? Not all of them are cannon fodder, either. I think Rust Kaiser alone would be a match for either of us, or both at the same time if he managed to hit us. And Hecate--the one you call the Chalice Queen--is being held captive by him, if I wasn't completely deceived. Springing her is of a slightly higher priority than killing Pazuzu at this point.

>>21423140>>21423145The players were acting like idiots in the earlier threads, OP seems to be either against us or is just being asshole, and getting frustrated by the recent events in this because of how poorly its flowing. So I have to give up on the project I was planning on doing.

> "What's the catch, oh slayer of kittens? I'm hearing the carrot, but I don't know how big the stick is."

The Thief grips his right wrist, fingers curling into a claw - The motion is an oddly mechanical one, stiff and regular.

"At the end," he says, his skull-helmet canted. "-At the end of it, leave him to me." You can feel the *intensity* in those words - As if it's not the task that matters, but the conclusion. "...I have to be the one to do it."

> You are aware that Pazuzu has a small army of Players at his command? Not all of them are cannon fodder, either.

"They're gone."

He predicts your next question: "Where?"

"The same place you came from, Joker. Down into the dark."

The Hive. He's talking about the *Hive*. The Thief's helm - The crusher at the front of it - makes an unpleasant grinding noise. "-You think you have secrets from me, but I know it all. The beast at the heart of the world, and the century-long night that followed."

Perhaps he can sense something of your expression through your mask, because the Thief makes a rattling laugh - Like old bones in a dusty valley.

> Alright, now give me a reason to trust anything you have to say. Sorry but trust is currently at a premium and you've never been the type to I don't know actually give me a reason?

There's the longest pause - A hush that seems to last forever. At last, the Thief answers; You can tell he's picking his words carefully, slowly.

"That day," he says, and there's an unidentifiable crackle of sound as he clears his throat.

"-She told me she loved you." The Thief's helmet lens whirr, darting fitfully at some internal motion. His right hand comes over to his chest, pressing hard - Making his words a heart-truth. "Understand this: I would never betray her. Never."

We're a walking buffet of experience points for someone who kills us, but the silver marks us as someone Argent trusts. If they gun for us, you can bet your ass they'll have Argent and his mooks after them in due time.

>>21423346>"As soon as she had it." >Oh look, the girl I said we couldn't trust regardless of circumstances turned out to be untrustworthy! What a tweeeeeest!

"All of it, eh? Then you must know everything I do about my Black counterpart. Pity I haven't seen her for a while.

"As for Pazuzu, get in line, even if he DID take your hand, I have business with him beyond my personal history."

>>21423246Also, you, stop antagonizing him. We know we don't like him, he knows we don't like him, there's absolutely no call to start the pre-battle banter until we're, you know, actually battling him. All it does is make him less inclined to actually help us.

>"-She told me she loved you." The Thief's helmet lens whirr, darting fitfully at some internal motion. His right hand comes over to his chest, pressing hard - Making his words a heart-truth. "Understand this: I would never betray her. Never."

D'awwwww. Man, I miss Hecate so much.

She has some deep connection with him, but I don't know what it is. It's like she's working with both of us at once.

>>21423434Oh son of a bitch, we've replicated our love triangle in the real world in the Red. They really are mirrors.

"Oh, I'm interested, but I desperately need a meter upgrade, or some way to bring out the heavy weapons earlier. If not for that limiting factor at the Dreamland we'd be having a very different conversation right now and I think my questions for the lost one would be seeing answers sooner rather than later. This then is my condition: my predecessor's memory delivered now in case of your death, and a relic with a Meter Boost effect, to be returned once Pazuzu's been reduced to energy. I'm afraid that last isn't negotiable, I'm not interested in a repeat of the last encounter."

>>21423469She probably was. Now I don't like Thief, he's never acted in a way that would suggest his head is screwed on right. Regardless this is a great chance, blowing him off would just be like throwinig a temper tantrum despite how deserved it would be.

I figure we should go with him and do this but at this point I don't think we ever will trust him.

"Chances come and go, Thief. Is this chance that you speak of out of revenge, Thief? Do you seek revenge? Revenge clouds your judgement. I know all too well. Why now of all times to attack Pazuzu? Did he magically lose his small army of followers? Are you sure you're not the one being lead?"

"This smells far too fishy to be true and I killed the guy who originally had that gem you wield."

>>21423555Yeah but given the way things have been accelerating I think that a general damage increase will pay off better unless a Meter upgrade will give us a constant meter gain. Also I'm pretty sure force upgrades also unlock higher tier special attacks.

"It's not *my* hand," he answers, with disturbing nonchalance - Curling his fingers into a fist.

> Second, why do you need to kill Pazzy with your own hands? Is that part of making your cosmic butterknife even more cosmic?"> "Because the original Black Cardinal and Phantom Edge died fighting each other? Or is there another reason?"

"Part of it," the Thief agrees. Behind the helmet, those lens whirr again - Focusing on something distant. Slowly, as if struggling to explain something he can't quite grasp:

"-He has given me offense. He owes me a soul."

An odd, strangely formal choice of words, but he falls silent - "He *will* suffer. He *must* die. And it will be done with this hand."

A pause, but you can feel the strange, unwholesome amusement in his voice. "-The first has already been arranged." The Thief gestures, to forestall a further question; "It will be. It would be pointless to lie."

>>21423602Special attacks are gained through events. It took the machine upgrade to bring out the 100 meter special. And no, our damage output is not the problem, our problem is not being able to fire as many missiles as we like while running multiple interceptors while charging up for the rail rifle.

Also, guys? Hecate lost an arm protecting us. Hecate, who cannot be found by a person second only to her in getting around the Red World. Hecate, with whom the Thief shared all secrets and who holds his loyalty. Hecate as the Thief? More likely than you think. Split personality, perhaps?

There's a low, humming *ping*, as he flicks something to you - It looks like...A brooch? No, different from that - It's slightly larger than a coin, silver, scored deeply with an odd symbol that hurts the eyes; It clings to your armor, as if magnetic. The Thief indicates a similar device on his lapel, one that you might've taken for an overlarge button.

"A Tether. Our insurance, in the event that we..."

The red light in his eyes falter.

"...Fail."

> CONVERSION COMPLETE> 'MINOR TETHER' OBTAINED> UPDATING DATABASE...

The Tether is a one-use Relic, which has one of two capabilities:

a) When activated, the Tether can be consumed to provide an instant 8% boost in Meter.b) When a secondary specific Relic is activated, the wearer will be forcibly 'recalled' to a single pre-designated area - Consuming the Tether in the process.

As for you killing Pazuzu yourself, I can't absolutely promise that. The battlefield is a hectic chaotic place, it may be at the point where my choices are to fire everything I have at Pazuzu or I will die, or you could be out of commission by the time it came to that. I'll do what I can, but as all plans fall apart on first contact with the enemy I can't absolutely promise you anything."

The Thief echoes your gesture - He reaches out with his right hand...Then pauses, lowering it, using his left instead. Rather than shake, he grips your hand, firmly; It's an uncomfortable sensation, because you get the frightening impression that there's only *bone* beneath those gloves.

> "We need a a catchy name now if we're teaming up. How about it?"

"If you'd prefer one." His voice brooks no preference, either way. His boots scrape against the basalt floor, as the Thief takes a slow step back; His emberous gaze fixed on you.

Slowly and precisely: "-Meet me in the shadow of the Cardinal's ambition; And we'll find him in Paradise."

The Paradise Church. That's what he's talking about - The great cathedral, a blot on the landscape that took eight years to be half-finished; It's been rotting for six, a hollow blot squatting on the skyline of the commercial district.

An eyesore - A place that *would* have been torn down, when scandal erupted...Except it would cost even more to take it down. You can't even remember what had happened, then - But yes, you know the Church. Since you could remember, it's *been* there, like a visual metaphor for dashed hopes and half-realized ambitions.

There's a ringing in your ears; An electronic *buzzing* that grows louder and louder, until it makes a migraine throb through your head. Just the school bell...

You don't remember getting back to class, which is probably just as well - You don't think you could concentrate, after what you've just seen. Something of your restlessness must have communicated itself; You note, too, that Kazuya and Natsumi are gone - They must have slipped off, the way you've done on occasion yourself.

(Come to think of it, everyone has pretty much done that, for one reason or another.)

It's a relief when the final bell rings; For once, you're near the front of the class, one of the first ones out. You're aware of how stiff your dressings are making you, but fortunately - The Paradise Church isn't far. You can actually *see* the vaulted shape of it, from the school's roof...Though that's not a direction you look in often, for good reason.

(Yes, the Assault Shroud's barrier can be expanded to cover someone close-by. However, there's a limit - The larger the area covered, the weaker the barrier is. The effect is also centered on you; You can't freely change it to another target, but you can make the field large enough to encompass him - If he's close by.)

It's a short bus ride down to the district; A place that you've walked pass - and through - many times, the neon signs and bright lights oddly out-of-place in the late afternoon. There's plenty of people out - Almost surprisingly so, for a weekday - and no-one notices you as you make your way towards the church.

It's...Well, it's not a hospitable place, even from here. The facade is cracked and peeling, the white paint gritty from a full decade of abandonment...They didn't even complete the tiled roof, which means that a large part of the cathedral must be completely exposed to the elements. The iron fence is still as sturdy as ever, however...Nothing's stopping you from going right in.

You could access the Red World from:

[ ] A nearby cybercafe.[ ] A restaurant.[ ] A bookshop.[ ] The Church itself.

>>21424113Normally, I would bow to your judgment on this quest... but the last time we entered the Red on top of our target location, we wound up directly in the line of a giant murderworm and had to get bailed out my Natsumi.

The CyberCafe you pick - The NetCade, or so the card informs you - is a spacious one set beneath a flight of descending steps. The place is cool, air-conditioned...And *entirely* automated. There isn't even a man at the counter - Just a machine where you insert money for a time-card.

As you walk along the rows of identical booths - 'Modules', really, given how each one has its own screened door, for privacy - you can hear the tinny sound of voices, and the tinnier sounds of gunfire, back and forth...Just an average day, then.

There's a faint *beep* as you step into the room, securing the door behind you; You settle into the padded seat, exhaling slowly as you get comfortable...

-And slip into the red world.

STAGE: SPIRE.

Your armored boots come to rest on cobblestones, as your gaze pans around your surroundings. You're standing on an open street, the iron buildings of Dis far behind you - You can make out a great, sweeping arch of a building before you, that narrows into...

You look up.

There's a great, needle-pointed obelisk before you - An unsecured structure that narrows as it pierces the churning heavens, going up and up and *up*. But, impossibly - There, it *broadens away, until it seems more like a narrow hourglass...Or like no less than *two* equally massive constructions, balanced point-to-point.

How could something like *that* be built? It should blot out of the sky...Except you can only see it *now*, directly beneath it.

Aight, I gotta bounce. I leave you with a small koan to guide future decision making: One difference between a hero and a villain is that a hero kills when there is no other option, a villain looks for excuses to.

There's nothing to hold it up - No honeycomb of girderwork and struts. Just that immense shape, a megastructure in a single piece...

-And, you realize, with a start, that it's empty. There's not a *single* Player in the vicnity, even in your peripheral awareness - Where the iron city's streets end, there's a perfect circle of desolation around this...this *place*.

You hear the faint *whirr* of a cable deploying, as the Thief drops down - Secured by an invisibly thin filament playing from his wrist, landing in a momentary crouch that he slowly straightens from.

"This is it," he says - His voice seemingly lost against the great shape, as he nods at it. "-The place where Pazuzu is."

> "Wow, this place is really fucking empty. And where did you come from? Why do you get a cool grapple hook thing. It's not fair.>[X] "How do we get in?"

"-Like the man, it's far smaller within than without." the Thief answers - And points, upwards. "...From above. See the place where they meet? That's the way in."

He lowers his arm - And you can still see the grappling cable uncoiling from it, invisible against the great mass. There's a faint whirr, as it begins to wind itself up again; His feet leave the ground, as he ascends in a single smooth motion - As if he's been bodily lifted, up and away from the ground below.

> "So, lead the way, we've got some murder to commit."> "How do you want to play this? I'm all for knocking on his front door with girl scout cookies. You can play Ninja if you want."

The Tempest Scrander's turbines cycle up - The secondary reactor fuming with crimson particles - and as thrust flares at your back, you light up after him, rising on columns of distorted air and electricity. Sparks hail outwards, the wind plucking at your Assault Shroud as you fly up, up, *up*...

-You're past it. You blink, and you've flown *right past* the entrance. You correct, and descend again - Too low, this time, the uncertain perspective making your vision swim. Something is *wrong* with the physics of the place - Either that, or your sensors are lying to you. The third time; When you corkscew over, coming in on a hard burn - You land at last, exhaust scorching the pearlescent finish of the obelisk's surface.

The Thief disengages his cable; You see a small spike whip pull free from the stone, retracting into his wrist. "Watch your step," he says, as you *look*...

...The obelisk is *hollow*. Inside, there's only darkness - The edges of the chasm deep and unending, with the faintest flicker of illumination at the very bottom. The structure is *impossible*, in every sense of the word...How is it even holding itself up?

"-Down there." His voice is flat, as he looks around for an - apparent - anchor point; Even as your sensors click and whirr, informing you that the blackness goes on *forever*.

Something catches your eye - There are long, deep furrows down one side of the wall; Two lines, parallel to each other, scored so *deep* that it comes close to breaking right through. The rest of the spire is unmarred.

"-Markings?" You hear a new note to the Thief's voice - Uncertainty. His gaze turns in the direction indicated - As he takes another slow step towards the edge, staring hard. "...Those weren't there before."

Indeed; You can't be certain what they are, either. They're rough, like scratchmarks...But what could possibly leave such a scar? And why?

The Thief kneels, canting his head to the side; "-They go all the way down, to the section floor," he confirms, warily. "...But there's nothing..."

He shakes his head, as if to clear it of doubts.

> [X] "What do they keep here, anyway?"

"Something they cannot be allowed to have. Let's go."

He takes a final step forward...And then he plummets, straight down, dropping like a stone as he's swallowed up by the inky blackness. You hear the echoing *bang* of a weapon discharge - Then the viper-quick *hiss* of cables drawing taut, somewhere down below...

-It seems like the Thief has found *his* way down.

Beneath your feet, the eternal dark yawns - You literally can't see more than a few meters from where you're standing, though the light of the red world is behind you. What *is* this place, anyway...?

> Descend into the pit on electric fire...Looking out for obvious traps.> "I'll go first and knock on their door with girl scout cookies. You kill anybody that looks at me funny from behind. Watch my back."

You draw a deep breath, and step out over the edge...Your Tempest Scrander flaring, the light doing absolutely *nothing* to the darkness except to make it dirty.

He didn't wait. You'd have thought he would be more cautious, but - The Thief seems to be in a hurry to get to the bottom, an barely perceptible impatience writ large in his stance. But then why...?

>>21424600I think I know what this place is. Remember that book, the one that described the ritual to flood a person with the energy of a city if they were in the right place at the right time? I think this is that place, I think Pazuzu might be in the process of performing that ritual... or he might have done it already.

Immediately, you realize that you're dropping faster than you *should* be; The wind whips past you, but there's an eerie feeling of stillness...As if you're suspended in the middle of nothing, except for the growing light beneath you.

A blue light flickers twice at the corner of your HUD, informing you that terminal velocity has been reached; You bring the Scrander online, spacing the bursts of thrust to descend at a saner rate. distorting the very air in a long column of shimmering diffracted light. You strengthen the thrust higher still and feel a glut of blood rush to your head, as you bring yourself under control...

Without warning, sooner than you'd expect, the darkness falls away - The ground coming up beneath you. Disorientated, you boost the power, decelerating; Your landing is still a bumpy one, a jarring *jolt* that almost topples you, hard enough to rattle your teeth as you cut power to the Scrander, cracking the tiles below.

You're standing in what looks like an arena - A circular space, with black tiles underfoot and eerie, uneven scrawlings on the walls. The base of the shaft: It's rounded, where the outside was four-side...Another trick of construction that makes you uneasy. The fitful light is cast by flickering fires - Fires? - that glow with pellucid blue flame...Set in an obsidian troughs that lines the area around you, like a ring within a ring.

The light is oddly opaque, as if stained brown by smoke. The only feature in the place...Except for the faded carvings, covered in spidery script, the pinpoint of the entrance, far above...is a great set of inner doors, framed panels that look like they've been made entirely from meteoric iron.

Each one is half a meter thick, none of the angles quite true; A complex mechanism sealing it shut, locked in place over a solid latch. Air hushes out, making the flames gutter - It smells of cold stone, breathing a sound through the black space.

And...It feels *familiar*, somehow...Like something in a dream, or a nightmare...

The Thief is kneeling by the door, regarding the mechanism gravely - He shakes his head, muttering under his breath. He looks agitated; You can see metal sand staining the iron doors, with streaks of rust-red erosion.

"-this is all wrong," he's saying, almost to himself. "...What could do this?"

The Thief jerks back, to his feet. He turns, to you - You can see the agitation writ large in his form...His gaze tracking to the marks on the wall.

"-He clawed his way down, controlled the fall..."

There's a CLANG, a sound like the crack of doom. Utterly eaten away, the impressive-looking seal...

-It just falls off. It hits the ground, rolling and clattering...Spilling dissolving gears and pins, ratchets and cogs, evaporating into nothing. With a deep, tectonic groan, the doors begin to swing outwards, with glacier slowness...

He's the color of old iron, his footfalls making the ground shudder. His shape is made even bulkier, by the burden he bears - Heavy, marble, in the vague shape of a effigy or statue...

-It's a sacrophagus.

"-" the Thief begins - Reaching into the folds of his coat for a weapon, a device. He's still reaching for it when, abruptly - without any warning at all - he vanishes.

The sacrophagus slams into him pulverizing *force*, so hard his feet actually leave the ground, hurling his flailing form away until he hits the far wall.

The stone cracks.

The coffin doesn't.

OUT OFMY WAY

The words come out as a grinding, metal-on-metal howl; Echoing around the closed confines of the killing field, as Rust Kaiser's brutal shape lumbers forward - Unyielding iron fingers clenched around a brace of spiked chains, last used to lash his burden in place.

He sees you. The great cleaving blade of his malformed, hacking sword shrieks as it scrapes across the ground - The edge glowing red-hot from the friction, as pitted and warped as the grinding fibres an drive chains ratcheted those awesome limbs.

As his helmeted head turns to face you, wedgelike shoulders guards pistoning in time to those slow, purposeful strides, you feel those eyes lock on - Cold and furious and utterly, utterly mad.

-The sarcophagus is a hell of a projectile, and we want to keep Rust Kaiser kited away from it as much as possible. As such, we should be staying grounded where possible - if he thinks he can get within reach of us, he'll be trying to do so instead of grabbing the coffin with intent to throw.-Similarly, kiting him in the other direction may give the Thief a chance to recover. Let's not let Kaiser go for the kill if we can help it.-Without the coffin, his only ranged option is the chains. Once we have a good guess at what his range is, we can launch interceptors to whittle him down from a safe distance.-If he tries to use the chain to pull us in, break it with the plasma shotgun. This has the added benefit of shortening the chain's reach.-We need to keep our guns rust free. The Assault Shroud, wrapped around our guns, should be able to block all that nastiness out while parting to let our outgoing shots through. Plus it will hide the guns from view so we can surprise him when we switch.-For the love of all that is good and holy, do NOT get within reach of his sword.

Okay. Now, I have to say something, OP. That situation is really messed up. I kind of like Natsumi, but I'm not sure what's going on with her. And I'm not sure if she's still dating kazuma, so I really don't want to be cheating on our bro.

What I'm saying is, is she supposed to be a love interest or not? Because I totally would if she was one.